Textile treating machine



W. N. HADLEY TEXTILE TREATING MACHINE Jan. "13, 1953 2 SHEETS-SHEET l j/v'enor. @www llllll lllllllAllll .lUUl\\h, III

Filed March a, 194s Jan. 13, 1953 w. N. HADLEY TEXTILE TREATING MACHINE 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 Filed March 5, 1948 Patented Jan. 13T, 1951i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TEXTILE TREATING MACHINE Application March 3, 1948, Serial No. 12,757

4 Claims. 1

My invention relates to machinery for treating cloth and textile products. Although there are many processes in which the apparatus of my invention may advantageously be incorporated, it is of particular value in connection with the process of semi-decating, or surface finishing, various fabrics.

As conventionally carried out, semi-decating involves placing the cloth in face-to-face contact with an apron, or mantle, and winding the two tightly around a perforated copper drum, the winding being carried out under great tension. Then steam is passed through the cylinder, the cloth, and the apron. When the steaming has been accomplished, cold air is drawn through the system to cool the cloth. The apparatus used involves many serious disadvantages. In the first place the goods must be handled in batches, whereas most textile processes are adapted for operation on continuously fed cloth. Thus, a serious bottleneck is introduced into operations at the mill.

Moreover, lengthy periods consumed in winding and unwinding are entirely unproductive and wasted. In addition, each cycle of the process involves the wasteful step of rst heating up the cooled drum and then cooling it down again. Also the shorter the interval between steaming and cooling, the better is the finished surface effect.

While attempts have been made to devise apparatus for the continuous semi-decating of cloth, none of them have been found satisfactory in practice, generally because the cloth is not maintained under sufficient pressure during the steaming and cooling operations.

I have invented a continuous semi-decater which not only produces finishes of improved quality but also provides all the advantages of continuous processing.

The most important object of my invention is to improved the quality and eiiiciency of textile treating equipment and, in particular, the art of semi-decating.

Another object of my invention is to produce a semi-decater capable of continuous operation upon continuously fed cloth, all with satisfactory quality and rate of production.

Another object of my invention is to increase the production obtainable from a semi-decater.

One important feature of the invention resides in the combination of a steaming drum and a cooling drum together with means for feeding cloth successively around the drums under high tension.

Another feature of the invention resides in a pair of drums combined with a pair of endless aprons looped over the drums and arranged to carry cloth between them and successively around the drums.

Still another feature of the invention resides in an idler roll arranged not only to tighten the aprons but also to maintain the cloth underpressure from the aprons during the period of transit from one drum to the other.

These and other objects and features of my invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of an improved semi-decater constructed in accordance with my invention, and

Fig. 2 is a view in end elevation.

The apparatus shown is useful for semi-decating woven or knitted woolen and worsted fabrics, rayons, silks, tubular knit goods, and other forms of textile products. The purpose of semi-decating is in general to improve the appearance and quality of the cloth, including: brightening colors, adding weight, making lustre permanent, setting the lay of the nap, preventing cockling and distortion due to atmospheric changes, and producing a iirm, clothy handling quality. In order to bring about these desired results it is essential that the cloth rst be treated with dry steam while held under pressure against a suitable surface; then, with no redu-ction in pressure, the cloth must quickly be air-cooled while held between suitable surfaces.

Before proceeding to a detailed description of the elements of the structure shown in the drawing, I shall discuss the general organization of the apparatus and its most important functions.

The machine is built around a pair of hollow foraminous drums I4 and I6, arranged to be turned in unison. Superheated steam is led axially into the interior of the drum Id and out through the perforations in its surface, while cold air is drawn through the perforations in the drum IB and exhausted axially from its interior. A pair of superposed endless aprons or belts 84 and |24 are looped around both drums but led through different paths oir the drums so that cloth may be fed between them, carried around both drums and discharged from between the belts. The belt 84l is tensioned by two counterweights l22 acting through cables upon sliding carriages H0 supporting an idler I08, while the counterweights 122 also tension the belt |24 by acting through cables upon another pair of sliding carriages |36 supporting an idler |34. Inasmuch as it is vital to maintain pressure upon the cloth at all times during the semi-decating process, I provide an idler 92 bearing on the belts and cloth as they pass from the drum I4 to the drum I6. A hydraulic ram |64 is employed to control the pressure exerted by the idler 92.

It will be seen that as the cloth |56 advances it rides rst on the belt |24 and then enters the bite between the two belts which press the cloth tightly between them; the cloth then travels around the drum I4 and is subjected -to steam and continuous pressure. This pressure is maintained by the idler 92 as the cloth leaves the drum I4 and travels toward Vthe drum I6. As the cloth passes around the drum I6, it is cooled by the air drawn through the cloth and the belts into the drum. The pressure is not relieved until the cloth leaves the drum I6. It then leaves the bite of the belts and rides along on the belt |24 to the discharge end of the machine.

The drums and circulation system The apparatus is organized about a heavy steel skeleton frame I2 of rectangular form supported on a floor or -base I6. Adjacent one end of the machine there is disposed a large diameter hollow metal drum or cylinder I4 having a foraminous surface and conveniently constructed of copper of suitably heavy gauge or of any other metal or plastic, formed as a cylinder perhaps 36 in diameter and as long as desired, say about '72". Each end of the cylinder is solid and carries a hollow shaft 22 journalled in bearings supported by auxiliary frame Ymembers I3.

A second cylinder I6, similar in form to the cylinder I4, is mounted for rotation in the frame I2 closely parallel to the cylinder I4. Access to the cylinder I6 is obtained through hollow shafts 28 supporting the cylinder at its end. The foraminous surface of the drum I6 is shown at I8 in Fig. 2.

A metal hood 24 is supported by the frame I2 in position to surround the drum I4 almost entirely, leaving only a restricted opening facing the other drum. A similarly disposed hood 26 encloses the drum I6. From one end of the top of the hood 24 a large vertical duct 28 leads to an exhaust fan 36 driven by a motor 3| and discharging through an exhaust pipe 32. The motor and fan are mounted on the upper run of the frame I2. A pair of small conduits 34 is adapted for connection to a high pressure source of dry superheated steam (not shown) and lead to conventional dirt-separators 36 and to a pair of throttle valves 38, one at each end of the cylinder shafts 22 for controlling the admission of steam to the interior of the drum I4. A moisture trap or condenser 40 having a drainage outlet 42 is associated with each of the valves 38, and a packing gland on each of the shafts 22 serves to prevent leakage of steam around the rotary steam joints.

The system just described provides means for admitting steam under pressure into the drum I4, through the foraminous surface thereof, into the hood 24, and out through the exhaust system comprising the motor 3|, fan 36, and ducts 28 and 32.

The hood 26, surrounding the cooling drum I6, is connected at each side of the frame to four ducts: two ducts 54 and 56 enter the `hood 26 Aof doors.

near the top, and two more, 58 and 60, enter the hood and adjacent its bottom. These ducts are served by a pair of vertical duct systems 52 located on each side of the frame I2 and communicating with a pair of oppositely directed intake pipes 50 which may conveniently be arranged to terminate out of doors.

Each hollow shaft 20 communicates with the interior of the drum 'I6 and with an exhaust pipe 62 leading to a vacuum pump 64 driven by a motor 65, the pump and motor being secured t0 the base I6. A common exhaust duct 66 leads the air away from the machine, preferably, out It will be evident that by exhausting the steam out-of-doors and by circulating outside air to and from the machine, I avoid setting up air blasts or currents within the mill or factory. The air supply may, if desirable, be Washed and filtered before being introduced into the drum I6.

M am drive system At one side of the frame I2 a motor 1U is secured upon a support 1| and carries a V-belt I2 driving a ypulley secured to a stub shaft 'I5 journalled in the support 1| and carrying a sprocket 14. A chain 'I6 leads around the sprocket 'I4 and to another sprocket 'I'I secured to the shaft 20, while a third sprocket I8 also fixed on the shaft 20 receives a second chain 80 which leads to a sprocket 82 fixed on the shaft 22. The size of the sprockets is chosen to eifect synchronous rotation of the drums I4 and I6. The speed of the motor ID may be varied by suitable means (not shown) to provide simultaneous adjustment for the speed of both drums. The speed chosen will be dependent upon the nature of the material `undergoing treatment as well as the character of the surface effect desired inthe finished cloth.

The endless belts In decating cloth it has been found necessary to press it into face-to-face contact with an apron (also called mantle or leader) during the steaming and cooling steps of the process. As heretofore .practiced conventionally, a run of cloth is wound upon a cylinder simultaneously with the apron. It will be seen that as the winding proceeds, the cloth and the apron form alternate layers. This necessary effect is obtained in the machine of my invention by a pair of endless belts, serving as aprons and made of conventional material such as strong mercerized warp sateens, strongly woven. soft-mapped blankets, etc.

One apron is formed as an endless belt 84, carefully interwoven when the ends are joined in order to leave no ridge or seam which might mar the cloth. The belt 84 travels around an idler 86 journalled on the cross `pieces 90 of a pair of oppositely disposed frames 88. The idler issuspended adjacent the drum I4 near the opening of the hood 24; then it passes around the drum I4 for about 300 of its circumference. After the belt 84 leaves the surface of the drum I4 it passes over an idler 92 mounted at each end on heads 94 carried on a pair of vertical rams 9,6. The rams are pivotally connected .at their lower ends to bell crank levers 98 mounted on lugs |00 secured on the frames 88. A hydraulic cylinder |04 is mounted at one side of the Vframe I2; and the cylinder controls a pair of plungers |02 pivotally connected to the bell crank levers 98.

After traversing the roller 92, the belt 84 passes about the circumference of the drum I6, over an idler |06 (also journalled in the cross pieces 90) and over an idler |08 mounted to turn on a pair of carriages ||0 slidably mounted on the frames 88. A pair of cables I|2 is secured to the carriages I I0 and pass over pulleys I I4 mounted on top of the frame I2. Each cable leads to a yoke ||6 pivotally mounted on shafts I|8 at the top of the frame I2 at the rear of the machine. From each yoke ||6 there is suspended a cable |20 carrying counterweights |22.

A second endless belt |24, similar to the belt 84 leads around an idler |26 mounted on top of the frame I2, over a second such idler |30 at the rear of the machine, and down around an idler |32 at the bottom of the rear of the machine. It then traverses an idler |34 mounted in a pair of carriages |36 slidably mounted at the rear end of the frame I2 and connected to the yokes IIB by cables |30. The belt |24 then passes under and idler |40 beneath the idler |36, traverses the bottom of the frame I2, and passes over an idler |42 journalled at the front of the machine at the bottom. The belt then runs upwardly and over a pair of idlers |44 and |46 disposed at the top of the frame. Finally the belt |24 slants downwardly to meet the belt 84 and travel with it over the idler 86, the drum I4, the idler 92, the drum I6, and the idler |06.

Operation The cloth to be treated is shown at |50, and in operating the machine the steam is first turned on and adjusted until the proper flow is obtained and moisture driven from the system. Then the cloth is led on the surface of the belt |24 at the front of the machine, care being taken to avoid wrinkling. At the idler 86 the cloth meets the belt 84 and is sandwiched between the two belts. By adjusting the counterweights |22 the slack of the belts is taken up and both belts equally tensioned. The rams 96 are operated to exert the desired pressure on the belts and cloth as they pass between the drums; moreover the rams 96 control not only the pressure of the belts upon the cloth |50 and upon the drums but also determine to some extent the degree of wrap of the travelling cloth and belts about the circumference of the drums I4 and |6.

The belts still engage the cloth under pressure until they all pass over the idler |06, at which time the belt 84 is led away over the idler |08, and the finished cloth travels along on the belt |24 to the rear of the machine, where it is taken off, either reeled up or fed into a subsequent machine in the mill. 'Ihe rate of advance of the cloth is determined by the length of the cycle necessary to produce the required effects on a given type of cloth.

It will be seen that the drum 4 never cools and the drum I6 is never heated. Consequently the cloth proceeds with desirable speed from steaming to cooling. The suction applied to the hood 24 exhausts the used steam smoothly without leakage, and the suction applied to the drum I6 exhausts the air in similarly convenient fashion. It should be noted that the steam is forced through the belts and cloth evenly, proceeding radially from the drum. In other words there is no unevenness in the steaming treatment. Air is admitted to the hood 26 at widely spaced ducts and, again a satisfactorily smooth and even cooling is obtained. As stated above, the machine of my invention not only offers the advantages of continuous operation, being designed for inclusion in a line of coupled machinery, but also carries out the semi-decating process more efciently and economically, al1 with improved results as far as quality is concerned.

The machine may be operated in either of two modes. A single strand of cloth may be fed between the two endless belts or aprons as above described. In this case, for continuous production, the forward end of one strand may advantageously be sewn to the rear end of a preceding strand by a butt seam so that the second strand will automatically be pulled into the machine by virtue of its attachment to the feed. Alternatively, the machine may be operated on two strands simultaneously; in this mode of operation the cloth strands are superposed one on the other in face-to-face or back-to-back relationship. One surface of each strand will be subject to direct pressure from one of the endless aprons. ln this double form of operation it is particularly important that consecutive strands be joined by a smooth butted seam in order to avoid marring the other strand of cloth or the aprons. The character of the cloth being treated will somewhat determine the manner in which the equipment should best be operated. If there is likelihood that the cloth will slip, it is best to place the two strands in face-tp-face contact inasmuch as two similar pieces of fabric are not as likely to slip on each other as upon the apron material, and in case of slipping between the cloth and the apron it is better that the slip operate on the back of the cloth where is does no harm. However, if the aprons are properly adjusted, the two strands of cloth will run as a unit and neither gain nor lose with respect to each other. Consequently there would be little tendency to mar the face finish of either strand of cloth.

It should be pointed out that the machine shown and described herein is so designed that the frames and piping at one side may be removed and suitable extension supports applied to the two cylinders so that the endless aprons may be removed and replaced with new oneswhenever necessary or desirable. For this purpose all of the idler roll bearings are arranged for quick demounting, it being contemplated that suitable trolley supports will be provided for supporting the ends of the idler rolls, thus making it a simple matter to reeve a new set of aprons into the machine or replace a worn roll.

Having thus disclosed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A cloth decating apparatus comprising a pair of foraminous drums mounted for rotation on parallel horizontal axes, a pair of superposed endless belts looped over substantial arcuate portions of said drums, means for rotating said drums in unison and in a direction to move said belts longitudinally therewith, means for continuously passing steam axially into the interior of the first drum and outwardly thereof through the belts, means for continuously passing a cooling fluid radially through the belts and the second drum and axially of said second drum, an idler disposed between the drums for rotation on an axis parallel to but beyond the plane of the axes of said drums and bearing on said belts to force the adjacent portions thereof beyond the horizontal plane of the axes of said drums, and variable means for exerting thrust on said idler to tighten the belts upon the drums and main- 7 'tain pressure on fsa'd Ibelts during their passage -f-rom one 'drum to th'e other..

2. The apparatus defined invclaim 1 in which said variable means `includes 1a hydraulic ram.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 1 plusmeans for leading said belts away from the second -drum through separated paths, and means for `holding under tension the portion of 'the belts not engaging the drums.

4. The apparatus defined in claim k3 `in which the holding means includes rolls in Contact with said disengaged portions of the belts and a coun'- terweight and cables connecting the rolls to the counterweight, for maintaining `the rolls in belt tensioning position.

WILFRED N. HADLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 8 UNITED `STATES PATENTS Name Date Lorimer Aug. 17, 1886 lCrawford Apr. 11, 1893 Kirk et al. July 11, 1893 Kirkel; al. Oct. 24, 1893 Behnsch Apr. 25, 1899 Sauhami Feb. 25, 1902 'Titus Mar. 24, 1903 Wiles Aug. 18, 1903 Bock Mar. 15, 1904 Todd et a1. May 3, 1910 Tracy lFeb. 13, 1912 Heidler June 18, 1918 Lennard Mar. 20, 1928 Mullen Oct. 30, 1928 Hahn May 5, 1931 Couch June 4, 1935 Ramsey Dec. 13, 1938 slagboom et al. Nov. 3, 1942 

